Career and Education Opportunities for Grounds Foremen in Chula Vista, California

Grounds foreman career and educational opportunities abound in Chula Vista, California. About 22,300 people are currently employed as grounds foremen in California. By 2016, this is expected to grow by 16% to about 25,800 people employed. This is better than the national trend for grounds foremen, which sees this job pool growing by about 14.9% over the next eight years. Grounds foremen generally plan, organize, direct, or coordinate activities of workers engaged in landscaping or groundskeeping activities, such as planting and maintaining ornamental trees, shrubs, and lawns, and applying fertilizers, pesticides, and other chemicals, according to contract specifications.

The income of a grounds foreman is about $21 per hour or $44,330 yearly on average in California. In the U.S. as a whole, their income is about $19 hourly or $39,920 per year on average. Compared with people working in the overall category of Building Maintenance, people working as grounds foremen in California earn more. They earn more than people working in the overall category of Building Maintenance nationally.

There are four schools within twenty-five miles of Chula Vista where you can study to be a grounds foreman, among sixty schools of higher education total in the Chula Vista area. The most common level of education for grounds foremen is a high school diploma or GED. You can expect to spend only a short time training to become a grounds foreman if you already have a high school diploma.

CAREER DESCRIPTION: Grounds Foreman

Grounds Foreman video from the State of New Jersey Dept. of Labor and Workforce Development

In general, grounds foremen plan, organize, direct, or coordinate activities of workers engaged in landscaping or groundskeeping activities, such as planting and maintaining ornamental trees, shrubs, and lawns, and applying fertilizers, pesticides, and other chemicals, according to contract specifications. They also may also coordinate activities of workers engaged in terracing hillsides, building retaining walls, constructing pathways, and similar activities in following a landscape design plan.

Grounds foremen furnish staff with assistance in performing duties as needed to meet deadlines. They also recommend changes in working conditions or machinery use, so as to increase crew efficiency. Equally important, grounds foremen have to order the performance of corrective work when problems occur, and recommend procedural changes to avoid such problems. They are often called upon to talk with other supervisors to direct work efforts with those of other departments or units. They are expected to establish and enforce operating procedures and work standards that will insure adequate performance and personnel safety. Finally, grounds foremen perform administrative duties such as authorizing leaves and processing time sheets.

Every day, grounds foremen are expected to be able to listen to and understand others in meetings. They need to articulate ideas and problems.

It is important for grounds foremen to maintain required records such as personnel data and project records. They are often called upon to schedule work for crews depending on work priorities, crew and machinery availability, and weather conditions. They also direct and assist staff working on the maintenance and up keep machinery such as power tools and motorized machinery. They are sometimes expected to direct or perform mixing and application of fertilizers and fungicides. Somewhat less frequently, grounds foremen are also expected to furnish staff with assistance in performing duties as needed to meet deadlines.

They also have to be able to perform administrative duties such as authorizing leaves and processing time sheets and ready and maintain required records such as work activity and personnel reports. And finally, they sometimes have to inspect contracts or work assignments to establish service and workforce requirements for jobs.

Like many other jobs, grounds foremen must be reliable and believe in cooperation and coordination.

EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES: Grounds Foreman Training

MiraCosta College - Oceanside, CA

MiraCosta College, One Barnard Drive, Oceanside, CA 92056-3899. MiraCosta College is a large college located in Oceanside, California. It is a public school with primarily 2-year programs and has 11,910 students. MiraCosta College has 2 areas of study related to Grounds Foreman. They are:

Landscaping and Groundskeeping, less than one year, one to two year, associate's degree, and two to four year which graduated seven, two, one, and zero students respectively in 2008.

Turf and Turfgrass Management, associate's degree and two to four year.

Southwestern College - Chula Vista, CA

Southwestern College, 900 Otay Lakes Rd, Chula Vista, CA 91910-7299. Southwestern College is a large college located in Chula Vista, California. It is a public school with primarily 2-year programs and has 19,997 students. Southwestern College has 3 areas of study related to Grounds Foreman. They are:

Ornamental Horticulture, one to two year and associate's degree which graduated three and two students respectively in 2008.

Landscaping and Groundskeeping, less than one year, associate's degree, and two to four year which graduated three, two, and zero students respectively in 2008.

Turf and Turfgrass Management, associate's degree and two to four year.

Cuyamaca College - El Cajon, CA

Cuyamaca College, 900 Rancho San Diego Pky, El Cajon, CA 92019. Cuyamaca College is a medium sized college located in El Cajon, California. It is a public school with primarily 2-year programs and has 9,926 students. Cuyamaca College has 2 areas of study related to Grounds Foreman. They are:

Landscaping and Groundskeeping, one to two year, associate's degree, and two to four year which graduated five, zero, and zero students respectively in 2008.

Turf and Turfgrass Management, one to two year, associate's degree, and two to four year which graduated three, zero, and zero students respectively in 2008.

San Diego Mesa College - San Diego, CA

San Diego Mesa College, 7250 Mesa College Dr, San Diego, CA 92111-4998. San Diego Mesa College is a large college located in San Diego, California. It is a public school with primarily 2-year programs and has 21,460 students. San Diego Mesa College has a less than one year program in Landscaping and Groundskeeping.

CERTIFICATIONS

Certified Desert Landscaper:
The Desert Botanical Garden is pleased to offer the Desert Landscaper Certification Program for over ten years.

LOCATION INFORMATION: Chula Vista, California

Chula Vista, California photo by FlickreviewR

Chula Vista is located in San Diego County, California. It has a population of over 219,318, which has grown by 26.4% in the past ten years. The cost of living index in Chula Vista, 134, is far greater than the national average. New single-family homes in Chula Vista are valued at $226,700 on average, which is far less than the state average. In 2008, one hundred eleven new homes were built in Chula Vista, down from three hundred twelve the previous year.

The three big industries for women in Chula Vista are health care, educational services, and public administration. For men, it is construction, public administration, and accommodation and food services. The average commute to work is about 27 minutes. More than 22.2% of Chula Vista residents have a bachelor's degree, which is lower than the state average. The percentage of residents with a graduate degree, 7.2%, is lower than the state average.

The unemployment rate in Chula Vista is 12.3%, which is the same as California's average of 12.3%.

The percentage of Chula Vista residents that are affiliated with a religious congregation, 43.7%, is less than both the national and state average. Seventh Day Adventist Church, First Christian Church and First Church of Christ are some of the churches located in Chula Vista. The largest religious groups are the Catholic Church, the LDS (Mormon) Church and the Southern Baptist Convention.

Chula Vista is home to the Fenton Ranch and the Chula Vista Municipal Golf Course as well as Los Ninos Park and Library Park. Shopping centers in the area include Florence Shopping Center, Rio Sweetwater Plaza Shopping Center and Genesis Square Shopping Center. Visitors to Chula Vista can choose from Best Western Chula Vista Inn, Bay Cities Motel and Big 7 Motel for temporary stays in the area.